Railway track construction



2 Shee'Cs-Sl'xeekl 1 IWMLBY July 22, 1958 c. WEBER ETAL RAILWAYy TRACKCONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 13, 1955 July 22, 1958 l c. WEBER ETAL`2,844,325

' RAILWAY TRAcxoNsTRUcTIoN 2 sheets-sheet 2 L Filed Jan. 15, 1955 v l]X,"

ATTORNEYS FIG. 5

United States Patent RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION Carl Weber, New York, N.Y., and Kenneth L. Henson, Rochelle Park, N. IL, :assignors, by Lmesneassignments,

to Carl Weber, New York, N. Y.

Application January 13, 195s, sei-iai No. 481,585

' 4 Claims. (ci. `zas- 7) This invention relates to the construction ofrailway tracks, and is particularly directed to the provision of animproved track construction in which the rails are supported on concreterather than on conventional wooden crossties.A Y

In our copending application Serial No. 457,406, tiled September 21,1954, we have described an improved railway track in which prefabricatedconcrete slabs are used in place of wooden crossties to support therails and hold them at the correct gauge spacing. Tracks thusconstructed are available for use substantially as soon as the railshave been laid. However, to construct track in this fashion, provisionfmust be made for precasting the concrete slabs, and they must betransported kfrom the place where `they yare made to the place wherethey are installed on the railway roadbed. Our present invention .isdirected to an alternative method of railway track construction whichdisposes of the need for Vprecasting and handling large concreterail-supporting slabs, by providing for the casting of such slabs inplace.

In accordance with the method of our present invention, the railwayroadbed is first prepared, and rails are laid thereon vin desiredalignment. For the purpose of temporarily supporting the rails, widelyspaced rail sup. ports are advantageously emplaced on the Aroadbed, andthe rails are laid on suchsupports `in desired alignment and at thedesired gauge spacing. Railchairs are then attached to the underside ofthe rail bases, and concrete A reinforcing elements are secured to --therail-chairs, between the preliminary rail supports. Thereafter concreteis cast on to the roadbedabout the .reinforcing elements and about therail chairs, and is allowed to harden.

AThe railwayftrack of the vinvention `thus comprises rails laidl indesired alignment with the underside of the rail bases seated onmetallic rail chairs, the rail ychairs in turn being secured to.concrete reinforcing elements about which a slab Vof hardened concretehas lbeen cast. The concrete is preferably cast to such a depth thatyits upper surface is at the level of the bottornsurfaces of the railbases, so that in the completed -track the rails in the spacesbetweenthe rail chairs are supported dihaving anchor legs projectingdownwardly for anchoring it to the concrete slab. The rails are securedtothe rail chairs by means of hammerheadL bolts vhaving' heads 'ofsuch-dimensions as to be capable of 'insertion 'through the slots ofsaid plate, and, upon turning, of becoming interlocked therewith, and byrail, clips adapted to engage It comprises a metallic chair .platehaving a slot formed in each of its end portions, 'and v2,844,325Patented July 22, 1958 ragainst the rail bases and to be clampedthereagainst by said bolts.

The foregoing and other features of our invention are described belowwith .reference to the accompanying drawings, showing a preferredembodiment of the invention, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan of a .railwaytrack according to the invention, showing it at various stages ofconstruction;

Fig. 2 is a section takenl substantially along the line 24-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. v3 is a section taken substantially along the Lline 3 3 of Fig. 1;v

Fig. 4 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of a 'rail attached to a.rail chair assembly;

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially along the line 5-'5 of Fig.4;,and

Fig. 6 is a perspective showing the chair plate with partsl broken awayand with the bolt and clip about to be secured thereto.

The method of constructing a railway track in accorda ance with theinvention is best shown in Figs. 1 to kEl. When the roadbed 1.0 withrequired cuts and fills, culverts, bridges, tunnels, andl drainageprovisions has been completed and prepared for reception of the trackstructure by customary ,construction methods, the rails 11 are laid inplace on rail supports 12. The supports in the form shown in thedrawingsresemble conventional crosstie's except that they are preferably made ofconcrete. They are placed preferably at the greatest distance apartthatV the stiffness of the rails will permit, 'so that the rails will.not sag to any significant extent between them. The rai-ls yare`attached to the supports at the correct spoor gauge and' are thenadjusted true to line and grade for the permanent track position.Fastenings 13 by which the rails are attached to the supports 12 may beof the same design as the'chair plate assemblies described below and maybe embedded therein when thesupports are made.

After the rails have been laid as described, rail chair assemblies 14are attached to the rail bases 15 atsuitable relatively closely spacedintervals between the Asupports 412. A network lof steel reinforcingelements 1'6 is attached to the rail chair assemblies, beneath therilsll and spanning the gauge space between them. Side forms 1'7 are setin place, and concrete 1`8 is cast about the r lee 'reinforcing elements16 to such a depth that its upper When the concrete has hardened, theside forms 17 may".

be removed. The supports 12, however, are preferably left in place as apermanent part of the track structure. lInthe completed track, the railsare securely attached to the concrete 18 'by the chair assemblies 14,and are Well Supportedxby the chair plates and by the concrete itself,for between the chair plates 14 the yrails bearon the upper surface ofthe concrete.

The chair assemblies 14 by which the rails are attached to thesupporting concrete are best Vshown in Figs. 4 to 6. Each of theseassemblies comprises a strong metall chair plate 21, 4formed with arectangular slot 22 in each of its end portions. The chair plate 20 issubstantially'loriger than the rail base 12 is wide, and the slots l-ieoneither side of the rail base when the rail is properly seated onI thechair plate. The length and width ofthe slots 22 correspond to thedimensions of the heads 23 of hammerhead 'bolts 24: the width-of theslots is only slightly greater than the width of the bolt heads 23 (thewidth of the head being substantially equal to the diameter of the boltshank), and the length of the slot is a little greater than the lengthof the bolt head. Thus the head 23 of the bolt may be inserted throughthe slot 22, and then by turning the bolt through 90, the bolt may beinterlocked with the chair plate so that it cannot Ibe withdrawn againthrough the slot. A housing 25 surrounds the slot 22 on the undersurfaceof the chair plate 21, so that when the concrete 18 is cast about thechair plate as described above, the space in which the head of the bolt23 is received when inserted through the slot 22 does not becomeobstructed by the concrete.

Chair anchor legs 26 are securely attached to the chair plate 21, andextend downwardly therefrom. These legs advantageously are bent over attheir lower end portions, as indicated at 27, to form hooks adapted toengage reinforcing elements 16 embedded in the concrete. These bent-overportionsv of the anchor legs may also serve to support the network ofreinforcing elements 16 when the latter is mounted in place preparatoryto pouring the concrete, as described above.

Rail clips 28 are provided to fasten the rails to the chair plates. Eachof these clips is formed with a hole through which the bolt shank mayextend, and with a lip 29 adapted to engage the rail base 15. When a nut30 is screwed on the bolt 24, and is turned down against the uppersurface of the rail clip 28, the latter clamps the rail securely againstthe chair plate.

A lug 31 extends downwardly from the undersurface of the rail clip 28,directly behind the hole through which the bolt extends. This lug is ofa width about equal to the width of the slot 22, and it extends throughthe slot behind the bolt when the latter has been mounted in place.After the bolt has Ibeen interlocked with the chair plate in the mannerdescribed, and the rail clip 28 has been placed on the bolt with its lug31 projecting through the slot 22, the lug prevents the bolt from beingturned suiciently to enable the bolt to disengage from the chair plate.Thereby accidental turning of the bolt in the slot to a positionpermitting it to be withdrawn from the chair plate is prevented.

Rail clips 28 of various sizes are provided to accommo- For theabsorption of vibratory stresses on the concrete surface under therails, and to reduce surface traffic noises, thin strips 32 of resilientand preferably sound deademng material are advantageously placed underthe rails throughout their length and under the rail clips. Variousmaterials, such as rub-ber, rubberized fabric, and various weatherandmoisture-resistant brous materials, may be used for making the strips32. It may be desired to employ such strips on main lines and otherfrequently used tracks, and to omit them from yard tracks, sidings andother tracks carrying only infrequently or very slow trac. Theinsulating strips 32 may be set in place against the undersurface of therail bases either before or after the concrete 18 is cast in place; butpreferably, in order to insure the best possible bearing of the railsagainst the concrete, it is installed after the concrete has been pouredand allowed to harden.

Conventional expansion joints may be provided as deemed necessary; andother conventional attachments and appurtenances may likewise beprovided as required or deemed advisable.

The outstanding advantages of the new concrete railway trackconstruction are as follows:

The reinforced concrete slab foundation supporting the rails for theirentire length provides uniform distribution ,of all service loads, andit assures improved safety of railway operation while achievingtechnical and economical advantages which cannot be obtained by anyother known method.

The concrete track structure is permanent, and is not affected by severeclimatic conditions, fungus growth, termites Or other destructiveinfluences. No weeds can grow within the track area.

The concrete slab covers the whole area like a waterproof blanket. Stormwater cannot enter freely below the slab, with the result that damage orinconveniences due to unstable ground conditions, where such conditionsare caused by variable moisture content of the supporting ground and byfrost, are eliminated. The greatest possible protection against verticalor horizontal misalignment of the rails is provided.

The uniform distribution of all dead and live loads over the entiretrack area provides for the greatest possible track stability by drasticreduction of maximum ground pressure. Applying the greatest possibletraffic loads, with locomotive wheel loads of l5 tons on standard gaugetrack, produces a uniformly distributed ground Y pressure of. less than0.6 ton per square foot of directly cept in such cases as recentlyfilled ground or unstable deep subgrade compressible soils. Wheresettlements occur, correction by well known soil stabilization orpressure grout jacking methods can conveniently be made at low cost.

The strong rail chairs deeply embedded in concrete and securelyconnected with the steel reinforcing elements of the slabs have no partsprotruding over the surface that could be damaged during theconstruction period, and they become essentially integral parts of theconcrete slab. The hammerhead bolts are securely held by the rail chairsand are safely locked in correct immovable position, and thus theyprovide for secure fastening of the rails in place by the rail clips.Track bolts and clips are, however, easily removable to permitreplacement of worn or damaged rails.

Our new method of railway concrete track construction eliminates the useof wood ties with all their accessories of rail plates, spikes,anticreep devices and other fittings. Entirely eliminated also are stoneor cinder ballast materials, and labor to place and maintain it. Thecontinuous support of the rails on resilient insulation, and the uniformdistribution of greatly decreased ground pressures from live and deadloads, permit the use of lighter weight rails than could otherwise beemployed, and assure long rail life by elimination of bending and exingstresses. Spreading of rails is substantially impossible. The greatweight and stability of the permanent track structure eliminates railcreeping sections.

Economic advantages, as compared with customary wood tie railway trackconstruction, accrue from combined savings of costs of trackconstruction, maintenance and operation.

Reinforced concrete work of high quality can now be produced at moderatecost in almost every country and locality by experienced builders usinghighly developed concrete production equipment. Cement and concreteaggregates are available almost everywhere from local suppliers.

Costs of concrete railway track maintenance, one of the most expensiveitems of railroad service, amount to only a small fraction of the costsfor maintenance of conventional wooden crosstie tracks.

Costs of railway operations are greatly irduenced by railway trackconditions. The permanent stability of our concrete track structureprovides for increased safety, greater speed and larger service capacityof the roadbed. On account of the improved track conditions, provided byour construction, excessive deterioration` of locomotives and cars isavoided, with appreciable savings for rolling stock maintenance andrepairs. The increased lifetime of its service also provides for reducedcosts of amorti being provided with a housing forming an enclosure aboutthe undersurface thereof and further having an aperture extendingtherethrough into said enclosure, said rail chairs being securelyattached to the concrete reinforcing elements, and fastening meansextending through said apertures and engaging the projecting endportions of the chair plates within said enclosures and securing saidrails to said chair plates.

2. A rail chair assembly for use in railway track construction of thecharacter described comprising a metal chair plate having a slot formedin each end portion thereof, a housing forming an enclosure about theundersurface of each end portion of the' chair plate into which saidslot opens, anchor legs projecting downwardly from said plate andadapted to be anchored in a concrete slab, hammerhead bolts having headsof such dimensions as to be capable of insertion through the slots ofsaid plate and, upon turning, of becoming interlocked therewith, andrail clips adapted to be secured to said plate by said bolts.

3. A rail chair assembly of the character described comprising a metalchair plate having a slot formed in each end portion thereof, hammerheadbolts having heads of such dimensions as to be capable of insertionthrough the slots of said plate and, upon turning, of becoming 6interlocked therewith, and rail clips adapted to -be secured to saidplate by said bolts, each of said rail clips having a lug projectingfrom its undersurface in position to enter the slot in the chair platealongside the bolt and substantially prevent turning of the bolt.

4. A rail chair assembly of the character described comprising a metalchair plate having a slot formed in each end portion thereof, hammerheadbolts having shank diameters and head widths only slightly less than thewidth of said slots and having heads of a length less than the length ofsaid slots, whereby the head of one such bolt may be inserted througheach slot in the chair plate and, upon turning through substantially maybe interlocked with the chair plate, rail clips having bolt holesextending therethrough adapted to be placed on said bolts and securedthereby to said chair plates, lugs projecting from the underside of saidrail clips in position to enter said slots alongside the bolts thereinand prevent turning of said bolts suciently to become disengaged fromthe chair plates, and a housing on the underside of the chair plateabout each slot therein and enclosing the space occupied by the bolthead and clip lug, whereby said chair plate may be embedded in concreteWithout interfering with ready installation at a later time of saidbolts and rail clips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS306,090 Moy Oct. 7, 1884 966,465 Mobley Aug. 9, 1910 1,109,267 ThomasSept. l, 1914 1,349,819 Davidson Aug. 17, 1920 1,350,760 Wilson Aug. 24,1920 1,527,124 Day Feb. 17, 1925 1,716,911 Alfred et al. June 11, 19291,745,748 Day Feb. 4, 1930 1,796,851 Maeomber Mar. 17, 1931 1,855,850Faries et al Apr. 26, 1932 2,272,218 Maxey Feb. 10, 1942 2,656,115Sonneville Oct. 20, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 521,826 Great Britain May 31,1940

